Is it any bloody wonder I'm seriously obese??

[Notthissticky]

Started calorie counting yesterday. I was at a birthday party and felt I had been quite restrained in terms of what I ate there (as in, I'd have normally eaten significantly more, not that I was having diet portions). What felt like a reasonable dinner at home and fairly sensible for the rest of the day. Logged it all onto my Fitbit app and it came to 3,500 calories. No bloody wonder I'm almost 100kg if this is what I eat when I think I'm being fairly sensible🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️ 2,500 calories so far today but I did go for a good walk and I am breastfeeding, so it's not too disastrous (I tend to lose if I eat 2000 a day yes, I am that fat)

I wouldn’t take a party food day as representative of a normal amount of calories. It’s all such high calorie. A few sausage rolls and a bit of cheese could be 1000 calories easy peasy.

Agree with pp, I wouldn’t take a party food day as representative of what’s normal eating for you.

Thanks for being kind No, you're right, it's not representative, but it does show that I have completely lost any sense of what normal eating looks like. Today I had 2200 kcal, of which 200 were biscuits but the rest was healthy. I was properly, gnawing stomach hungry both before lunch and before dinner. I do have a big appetite by nature, which doesn't help

God I know what you mean though op. I could eat several days worth of calories in cake in one sitting. Easily. Damn sugar. It's a wonder everyone isn't obese IMO.

Do you drink enough water? Even the driest cracker is mostly water so feeling very hungry a lot can often actually be a sign that you need to drink more water.

@Notthissticky

Thanks for being kind No, you're right, it's not representative, but it does show that I have completely lost any sense of what normal eating looks like. Today I had 2200 kcal, of which 200 were biscuits but the rest was healthy. I was properly, gnawing stomach hungry both before lunch and before dinner. I do have a big appetite by nature, which doesn't help

One thing that helped me when I stopped snacking in the evenings was to not panic when I got hungry. It was difficult at first, but then I started to think - why am I so afraid of being a bit hungry, it's not like I'm actually going to starve. What is hunger covering for? Boredom, routine, anxiety, what?

Giving your system a break from food can be a good thing. You could try intermittent fasting, usually the 16/8, which means you eat during an 8 hour window and then fast for 16 hours.

It taught me to be ok with being hungry...that I wasn't going to die, nothing terrible was going to happen. That actually, if I really wanted something then I could enjoy it the next day.

Not sure if it would suit your lifestyle, but for me it definitely helped the mindless snacking in the evenings.

@BasinHaircut

I wouldn’t take a party food day as representative of a normal amount of calories. It’s all such high calorie. A few sausage rolls and a bit of cheese could be 1000 calories easy peasy.

Same. I have a day off when I can put away 3k🙈 I think sometimes having fun like that is important. What i do is i take bit off top from different days and stiff it into one😁

As pps said. You will be hungry for a bit. I too thought i had naturally big appetite. It was more of a habit.of bog portions. Couple of weeks and you will ait there thinking "oh. Ok. So maybe not so big naturally, k"

If you are hungry then a few tips.

Reduce processed carbs especially sweet things. I don't necessarily mean to low carb/keto levels but reducing sugar/carbs will lessen the sugar peak and crash cycle which causes cravings. Upping nutritious fat will satiate you more too.

Personally I find that breakfast really kicks of an unhelpful hunger cycle so skip it entirely until I get hungry in the late morning or afternoon but this may not be for everyone.

I also second the habit thing about food. I did a full day water fast once for medical reasons and it was an absolute revelation because it was....fine. hunger came and went, I had craving but no adverse reaction at all. I try now to be less regorous about meals and will skip or delay if I'm not hungry. Difficult with two small children as they do get 3 meals.

Hi,
Re the big appetite thing - me too! Although someone on here recommended Why We Eat (So Much) by Andrew Jenkinson and although I haven't finished it yet, he puts forward that obese people feel hungry as hormones are messing with the signals to the brain. I've found that tremendously helpful and have been able to "override" my hunger by telling myself I'm not, having a hot drink and maybe a piece of fruit.

I've got a good history of losing weight (but not maintaining - going to crack that nut this time though!) and I can promise you if you commit to 3 weeks of eating differently you WILL develop new habits and responses.

Oh and I'm fairly good at knowing what's calories heavy but one day I grabbed a supermarket sandwich without thinking - assumed the vegan option would be ok - OVER 700 CALORIES. IN A SANDWICH. WHICH WASN'T EVEN VERY NICE. At least you enjoyed yourself!

Oh and I'm fairly good at knowing what's calories heavy but one day I grabbed a supermarket sandwich without thinking - assumed the vegan option would be ok - OVER 700 CALORIES. IN A SANDWICH. WHICH WASN'T EVEN VERY NICE. At least you enjoyed yourself!

I treat calories like money. If I don't get good calorie vs enjoyment ratio, it's out😂
Also. Be careful on salad calories...

I agree about the carbs, you could cut down on them and eat more protein which will keep you feeling full for longer.
Sparkling water helps me too, I drink a lot of it, which I make with a soda stream.
Start with your shopping list. Just don't keep biscuits and crisps in the house. Buy more fruit and veggies. Use low calorie cooking spray, and grill instead of frying when you can. It all makes a difference.
But - I do all of that and I'm still overweight.

@SchrodingersImmigrant I’m the same with treats - mainly cake. I’m such a cake snob anyway, will rarely eat it unless I’ve made it myself as I just know it won’t be worth the calories.

My very own carrot cake on the other hand…….

Yes, struggling here as well as have slipped over into obese on the bmi calculator and am horrified.
I recognise that fear of being hungry. In my case I think it stems from having slightly wobbly legs when I’m very hungry and thinking I might faint. I’m telling myself now that I will not faint and I am drinking more water. I’m also very bad in the evenings and am making a conscious effort now to eat a piece of fruit and not biscuits and never to eat late at night.

Thanks for all your suggestions everyone. I'm sticking with calorie counting for now, as I know this works for me. I am aware that it would probably be a good idea for me to reduce carb intake eventually too. Re big appetite and changing eating habits: I hope a PP was right that it'll take three weeks. The big appetite is definitely a real thing for me though. I have been overweight/ obese from toddlerhood and my parents say that I would eat anything in sight from a very young age. Sadly, I am seeing my toddler developing similarly, so I'm trying to curb that and avoid a lifetime of weight issues for him.

How are you doing OP?

@WheresMyTweezers

How are you doing OP?

Hi. Thanks for asking! Much less hungry since the last day I described. Still unintentionally getting it wrong, but I'm trying to learn from that And carry on. I think you're on the mutual support thread too aren't you?

Yes. I'm most active on the 6 stone weight loss one, and I've recently joined the 7lb off in July one which - as well as being a nice, manageable target - was started by someone who's lost 12+stone!

It's funny, I find it much easier to be very strict than build treats in as I spiral so easily, but 3 weeks in and I'm finding I don't have cravings anymore. It sounds trite but I'm trying to drink lots (and peeing past myself!) and when I think I'm hungry I'll have some cherries or something but there's been a couple of days where I've totted up at the end of the day and forced a snack in as my calories have been a bit too low - I never thought that would be me! I find it hardest getting to lunch but luckily working from home I can have an early lunch and once I've had lunch I find it easier to manage my appetite.